NEW A-2 PURCHASE! ANY AND ALL OPINIONS/ADVICE WELCOME

[RHODEO]

Hi all,

Thanks once again for all this valuable feedback.

I have a few more questions though to finally make up my mind.

I have now rehashed my options and along with that came the new questions:


AERO
Aero 38-1711-P Type A-2 Lost contract (Seal Brown HH) (AERO SCOTLAND)
- I LIKE: all the unique features of this particular contract, fit, nice hides, nice red knits
- Q’S: Are there any fittings issues? Ring Snaps vs Nipple Snaps etc., etc

Approx Price: £400 + £50 = £450 x 14 = ZAR 6300



DUBOW
Dubow (Collar Stand) - Lost Worlds (NY)
- I LIKE: strong hides, and good construction
- Q’S: Are there any fittings issues?
- colours (knits, can he do them in deep reddish orange as per GoodWear), as well as contrast stitching as per GW
- Knits, are they strong like AERO and RMNZ and not ELC?
- Seal Brown with orangey knits?
- Leather (maybe too heavy)?

Approx Price: US$875 + US$50 = US$ 925 x 6.7 = ZAR 6200



Dubow – Goodwear
- I LIKE: attention to detail
- Q’S: Do you make a collar stand version?
- Labels, can you provide original ones (stating orig manuf name instead of "Goodwear"?
- Knits, are they strong like AERO and RMNZ and not ELC?
- Seal Brown with orangey knits?

Approx Price: US$880 + US$50 = US$ 930 x 6.7 = ZAR 6231



ROUGHWEAR vs DUBOW
RMNZ - I LIKE: attention to detail, Everything said about them , here and everywhere else.
- Q’S: RoughWear vs Dubow, which has neater fit/cut (Square shoulders, slim fit, nice
length sleeves,etc)?
- Dubow - Colours (can they do them in deep reddish orange as per Goodwear), as well as contrast stitching as per GW

Approx Price: NZ$1300 + NZ$0 = NZ$ 1300 x 5.1 = ZAR 6643

 

[RHODEO]

RMNZ rating???

There are a lot of priorities there.

If you want the most durable jacket, buy the Lost Worlds Dubow. Yes, Stuart is "difficult" to deal with at best, but the jacket wears like iron and is a fairly accurate reproduction. You have tradeoffs when you are asking for the durability: you trade a period cotton taped zipper for a nylon tapped zipper. Lost Worlds glues the seams (at least they used to) and sews them with a very duarable thread. The leather is a heavy 3.5 oz or so--But the jacket will never come apart. The shell is unbelievaby durable.

The finish is entirely waterproof, too

If you are looking for accuracy, go with the Chapman/Goodwear A-2. That will be what I buy next, and I will be buying at least 2.

The Aero is a good solid jacket, but the inaccuracies or the components (cuff design, etc) are too much for me to swallow.

I have had several Eastman jackets. IMHO, the quality of construction and the materials (excluding the leather) are first rate. I do not think I have had a repro jacket that was as consistent with originals in terms of components (hopefully the Goodwear will outclass the Eastman), by that being said, you get knit that wears out quickly, just like most original jackets.

You are right, though--I was never happy with the cut of the jacket or the varied explanation for the cut or "resizing."

The thing that I always said was that I would like to have Eastman assemble a jacket with their components, using Lost Worlds leather, using a dead on accurate issue pattern.

I would narrow it down to the Dubow and the Goodwear, and choose based on leather finish.

Hi Juanito
What do you think of the RMNZ jackets? Roughwear and Dubow's Do you perhaps knw if they make the collar stand Dubow? Which in your opinion is the neater fitting between the two?

 

[RHODEO]

Dubow on ur site, Labels

Hello,

I hope you're able to find just what you're looking for. I'm John Chapman of Good Wear Leather.

I just completed a pattern from an original Rough Wear 18091 and I was able to take it apart and get the exact shape of each piece. The Rough Wear A-2s truly are beautiful jackets, and they're a bit more complex than most, even with collar stands - a great amount of thought was put into the design.

Here's a test jacket I made from that pattern, and I'll soon have labels for it as well...

Jacket:
http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gw18091_images.html

Label:
http://www.goodwearleather.com/labels/GW_18091.jpg

I'm also making a copy of Aero's 16160 contract which was done before WWII started for the U.S. It's made with a collar stand, square pockets but rounded pocket flaps, and it's got s very smart look. I made this one a bit big for myself, but you see what the shape is like. I'll also have a Good Wear label for the jackets this week. This is a test jacket, made with cowhide, so production jackets will be done in horsehide...

Jacket:
http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/test_aero16160.html

Another photo:
http://www.goodwearleather.com/aero16160/aero_16160.jpg

Label:
http://www.goodwearleather.com/labels/Aero_16160.jpg

This contract was worn by many of the Doolittle Raiders, as well as Claire Chennault.

Good luck in the search, and hopefully you find just what you're looking for.

John

Hi John,

I had a look at the Dubow on ur site. That is the way i would like my jacket to fit. Nice square shoulders, maybe a bit more length in the arms. Do you do those with the proper labels? What leather was used on that particular jckt ?(what would you call that colour)? Do you have an example (pic) of ur seal brown colour ? and the knits? (Is that the colour you refer to as the reddish orange?) http://home.comcast.net/~jchapman2004/dubow7/dubow7.html

 

[RHODEO]

do you have pics PLEASE

I only own one A-2 jacket and it is an Aero 1938 repro from Aeroleather Scotland, tailored upon my measurements, got it in 5 weeks from the day of the order and I can't really think of anything better, I've recently been in Japan and I've seen around in Tokyo's Ueno shops a lot of repros brands from The Few to
Lost Worlds or Real McCoy and so on, none of them match my Aero 1938 contract.
I never had the chance to see and touch personally a Goodwear jacket but considering what emerges from any of the comments that I read so far and also from the pictures (John did a great CD with a lot of pics both from repros and originals btw) I believe that also with Goodwear you wouldn't go wrong!

I really like this jacket on paper /description, all the little unique details (ie the topsticthing on both seams of the sleeves etc). What colour is yours (hide/knits), size? Do you have some detailed pics as well as some of where ur wearing it to get some sort of perspective of fit. I'd really appreciate that .thanks

 

[Juanito]

Hi Juanito
What do you think of the RMNZ jackets? Roughwear and Dubow's Do you perhaps knw if they make the collar stand Dubow? Which in your opinion is the neater fitting between the two?

You know, I do not have much experience with the Real McCoy's Jackets. I have had two (it has been at least 5 years), and while I was impressed overall with most of the aspects of the jackets, I ended up selling them--no so much that I was dissatisfied with them, but I lost interest in jackets for a while, and I didn't own them for very long.

I owned a Monarch copy and a Dubow copy and I bought both used, so I have no experience with the Roughwear. The Dubow I had was not of the collar stand construction.

I did like the superb labels and the overall style, the quality of the nipple style buttons, the correct shape of the pockets and flaps, but the knit seemed heavier that my originals with the cuffs being long, and while I was quite happy with the leather, it seemed a little smooth on the Monarch. The color on the Dubow copy was fantastic. That is about all I remember.

The fit was good.

 

[BuzzTheTower]

Shipping to Norway

That 16160 looks beautiful John :eusa_clap

What's the postage cost to Norway for one of those babies?

Smithy,

Thanks so much - the Aero original was just superb, so copying it was a pleasure. The shipping to Norway would be $50 using EMS with insurance and tracking.

John

 

[BuzzTheTower]

Dubow – Goodwear
- I LIKE: attention to detail
- Q’S: Do you make a collar stand version?
- Labels, can you provide original ones (stating orig manuf name instead of "Goodwear"?
- Knits, are they strong like AERO and RMNZ and not ELC?
- Seal Brown with orangey knits?

Approx Price: US$880 + US$50 = US$ 930 x 6.7 = ZAR 6231

Hi Rhodeo,

Thanks. I've been able to get patterns from four Dubows, including a size 36 which I took apart and a size 52, which is quite rare. I don't have a collar stand version at this time, but it's not hard to engineer. I've got the larger square Dubow labels of the 27798 contract, with sizes 40-48, which are incorporated in the label. My knits are just as strong as any makers, and will last well - they don't balloon or look odd.

I've got seal brown horsehide and cowhide (with the cowhide looking superb, and the horsehide aging to look just like originals). The knits of Dubow jackets made after 1941 tended to have either and orange or purple hue of brown, and I can do either shade.

Here are some photos of a jacket made with my seal brown leather called English Pub Coffee, which has proven to be very popular and fun to wear. It's not stiff, but isn't thin, either. The grain is 100% real and amazing...

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gw21996_images.html

John

 

[Smithy]

Smithy,

Thanks so much - the Aero original was just superb, so copying it was a pleasure. The shipping to Norway would be $50 using EMS with insurance and tracking.

John

John, I'm thinking I might have to get in touch with you after Christmas regarding one of those 16160s

When will you be offering this contract to the public John?

Cheers,

Smithy

 

[fedoralover]

John, I'm thinking I might have to get in touch with you after Christmas regarding one of those 16160s Smithy

You might want to get in line now, there is a bit of a wait to get it made, around 7 weeks or so I think.

fedoralover

 

[Smithy]

Thanks Fedoralover, it'll have to wait until after Christmas. No need for a rush with me as it's Irvin weather here at the moment and will be for the next 4 or so months.

That 16160 is my favourite A-2 contract by a long chalk, it'll have to be one of those!

 

[BuzzTheTower]

Aero W535-AC-16160 A-2

John, I'm thinking I might have to get in touch with you after Christmas regarding one of those 16160s

When will you be offering this contract to the public John?

Hi Smithy,

Thanks. I'll have this contract on the web site soon, as I have a jacket with the new label in it. Any time you'd like to order one, it's ready. I hope to have images in about 24 hours.

John

 

[Smithy]

Hi Smithy,

Thanks. I'll have this contract on the web site soon, as I have a jacket with the new label in it. Any time you'd like to order one, it's ready. I hope to have images in about 24 hours.

John

Thanks John, looking forward to the pictures!

 

[sphughes]

WOW.......How to decide?

John you are an artist. Once I can make up my mind I will call and introduce myself.

-Scott

 

[BuzzTheTower]

Good Wear W535-ac-16160

Thanks John, looking forward to the pictures!

Hi Smithy,

A bit late on these, but here they are. The light was quickly fading here in Seattle, so some are blurry and I missed a few as it was getting too dark for my camera to focus (arrghh). I'll get more tomorrow.

This is just a test jacket with dark cowhide, and I've got russet HH coming soon that should do a better job of copying the original. They usually had russet HH, reddish thread, large ring snaps, Crown or Talon zippers, and somewhat orange-brown but dull knits. With a slightly thicker russet hide, this will look stunning.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gw16160_images1.html

John

 

[Jacob Dubow]

Excellent job on that one, John. I think you really selected a sharp looking contract to reproduce, with the 16160 Aero!


J. Dubow..........(AKA) Ted

 

[Smithy]

Great stuff John :eusa_clap

That's the one I'm after. Expect an email once Christmas is out of the way.

Best,

Tim